A Musical Money-Making Machine
B2-Intermediate+BizBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 3AProtectedStep 3Stories 0
ReadOasis Step 3 Carrie Underwood by Eva Rinaldi (Creative Commons) Carrie was a country girl from Checotah, Oklahoma. She lived on a farm, and in the mornings, she would help her father feed the cows. Carrie loved to sing. She started singing at church when she was 3 years... Read more
The Artful Geisha (Step 3)
ArtsB2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3StoriesStyles 1
ReadOasis Step 3 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as classical music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." Thus, in a literal sense, a geisha is an artist. In the modern... Read more
Awarding Excellence: The Pulitzer Prize
ArtsB2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 3BProtectedStep 3Stories 0
ReadOasis Step 3 The Color Purple is a book about a black woman named Celie. The story tells of her life and struggles, as she grew up in the Southern United States during the 1930s. The book was written by Alice Walker. And the movie version was directed by... Read more
by Caroline H. and Samuel B. HardingRetold by ReadOasis at Step 3 Hades ruled as the god of the Underworld, and he was also a brother of Zeus. But the Greeks did not think of him as bright and beautiful like the other gods. They believed he made the... Read more
ReadOasis Step 5(Part 1) Part 1: How Fire Was Given to Men In those old, old times, there lived two brothers who were not like other men, nor yet like those Mighty Ones who lived upon the mountain top. They were the sons of one of those Titans who... Read more
By James BaldwinReadOasis Step 5 One day an old hen whose name was Cluck-cluck went into the woods with her little chick Tuppen to get some blueberries to eat. But a berry stuck fast in the little one's throat, and he fell upon the ground, choking and gasping. Cluck-cluck,... Read more
By Tom Peters (Creative Commons) ReadOasis Step 4 Does this require more explanation than the Golden Rule (“Do unto others ... ”): Badmouthing competitors diminishes you. Period. “Win” with better product. “Win” with better relationships. “Win” when your industry is prospering and has a good reputation. (Think consultants, ad... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) One day Yukichi went to Yokohama for sight-seeing. At the time, the place was not much of a town. Foreigners had made a few temporary buildings there for living and selling their goods. Yukichi tried to speak with them, but to his distress and... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) El Expolio by El Greco El Greco wanted to be a great artist. (His name means “the Greek.”) Like many Greek artists of his time, El Greco moved to Venice, Italy. Venice was alive with cultural change, achievement, and art during a period of... Read more
Rules for Your Working Brain (Step 3)
B2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedSciencesStep 3Stories
ReadOasis Step 3 The bell rings. Students close their books and start packing their bags. Raising his voice, Professor Jones says, "Remember to read Chapter 6 before next class, and your first report is due in 3 days!" Some students groan. Mary rushes back to her room. She's got... Read more
ReadOasis Step 4 Confucius (551-478 BC) was a great Chinese philosopher and educator whose teachings formed the basis for Chinese education, ethics, and social life. His style was similar to Socrates. He tended not to give long explanations on different topics. Rather, he asked questions and challenged people to... Read more
Children’s Driving School (1957)
B2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 2StoriesStyles 0
By British Pathé ReadOasis Step 2 While we are on the subject of youngsters, let’s pay a visit to a driving school in Brixton, London, where the pupils are mostly children, and where the instructors, believe it or not, are children, too. Run by Mr.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Creative Commons Photo by johnbailey63 It was a cloudy day in summer. The sun's light flickered on the green grass as clouds moved across the sky. The colors of the German countryside danced in the changing light. A cool breeze whispered in the trees.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 An old man was fishing alone in a small boat. He was off the coast of Cuba near the town of Cabanas. He hooked a marlin, a great fish with a long, sharp spear for a nose. The powerful fish pulled the small boat out to... Read more
The Mindset Message (Step 3)
B2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesInvention Step 3AListen!ProtectedSciencesStep 3Stories
ReadOasis Step 3 Some people say that "hard work is more important than innate intelligence." To appraise this claim, researchers gave this message to a group of people. Then something remarkable happened. Right after hearing the message, the people manifested real changes in their brains. Is this true? Can... Read more
How to Attain Presentation Zen (Step 3)
B2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsIdeasProtectedStep 3Stories
By Lyric Smith ReadOasis Step 3 PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software in the world today. Over 400 million copies are in use. But there are drawbacks to PowerPoint. It can cause you to oversimplify, and it can prevent you from empathizing and connecting with people. To give... Read more
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
ArtsB2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3Stories 2
ReadOasis Step 3 We are far into "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" when Albus Dumbledore says, "Dark and difficult times lie ahead." But they lie behind us too. And these dark and difficult times have caught our imagination since the beginning of Harry Potter. But this fourth... Read more
Richard Wagner, Musician
ArtsB2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories 1
ReadOasis Step 2 Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813. He was a famous German musician and writer. He wrote operas, or "music dramas." Unlike many writers of opera, he wrote the words and music for all his works. Wagner's music is known for being intense, complex, and... Read more
Music as Medicine
B2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesInvention Step 3AListen!Music Step 3AProtectedSciencesStep 3StoriesTop Picks 2
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) You are watching TV. On the screen, you see the two strong hands of a man. In his left hand, he holds a book of matches. In his right hand, he holds a single match. With his right hand, he strikes the match on... Read more
Country Music Icon: Hank Williams
ArtsB2-Intermediate+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Music Step 3AProtectedStep 3Stories 0
ReadOasis Step 3 It was the middle of America’s Great Economic Depression. Hank Williams was just seven when his father left. The stress from World War I still burned in his father’s brain, and he committed himself into Veteran’s hospital. Hank’s mother worked. She played organ at church, and... Read more